Jaguars WRs trying to find improvement

MICHAEL C. WRIGHTMorris News Service

Published Sunday, May 03, 2009

Once or twice a day, everything clicks for Mike Thomas.

In those instances, every stride isn't taken timidly. He's not afraid to make mistakes. His thought process isn't clouded by all the information crammed into his brain since Friday's start of minicamp.

He's just playing ball.

It's a situation both Thomas and Jarett Dillard the Jaguars' fourth- and fifth-round receivers envision experiencing more often as they grow accustomed to playing in the NFL. If their transition from college unfolds quickly, the Jaguars could finally see an end to their recent run of questionable acquisitions at wide receiver.

"If I know what I'm doing, I can put everything aside," Thomas said. "You put yourself in a position to be the best you can be, and after that, it's all ball. There's no pressure. It's a good situation for all us receivers here." From the standpoint of sheer competition, the "situation" Thomas describes couldn't get any better. The Jaguars rid themselves of first-round busts Matt Jones and Reggie Williams this offseason and sent free-agent bust Jerry Porter packing.

So the remaining slots are up for grabs, with Thomas, Dillard and fellow rookie Tiquan Underwood serving as the latest in a long line of candidates fighting for few spots.

What makes Thomas and Dillard so likely to contribute next season is the fact they are considered legitimate, polished receivers who established long track records of success at their positions in college. At Arizona, Thomas became the Pac-10's all-time leader in receptions (259) and started 39 of 48 games. Dillard set the NCAA record for touchdown catches (60).

Both are diminutive by NFL standards (Thomas is 5 feet 8 and Dillard 5-10), but the club never produced lasting results acquiring bigger receivers such as Jones, Williams and former Jaguar Ernest Wilford.

"I see some pretty good talent," quarterback David Garrard said of the club's new receivers. "They're all wet behind the ears right now, but they're showing a lot of promise just running routes, catching the ball and actually making some plays out there. I'm very happy to have them out here. They're all high-quality guys."

Dillard admittedly struggled Friday in his first practice. Asked if he tried to avoid thinking too much while running routes on the opening day, Dillard smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

"Impossible on the first day," he said. "I ran a couple of routes and felt myself thinking about it, trying to get it down to the perfect technical way that coach [Todd Monken] had coached us.

I'm right back to being a redshirt freshman out here again. I learned the playbook in one day and I just got to know the feel of the guys and the feel of the quarterback." Garrard understands the situation, but expects to learn quite a bit about his newest receivers by watching how they react to being thrust into uncomfortable circumstances. The quarterback is thankful the rookie receivers plan to lean on Holt for guidance. But how they perform with very little knowledge of the system might predict whether they'll produce in the clutch.

"Right now their heads are swimming, so what can they do with not a lot of knowledge of the offense, with pressure on, how you are going to perform? It's the same kind of feel almost when you're in a game a there's a lot of pressure," Garrard said. "With the pressure and expectations, how are you going to step up? What kind of plays are you going to make, and can we count on you?" The Jaguars will soon see.